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<title>bonds forged under fire are stronger than any force (except, of course, bullets) by Garecc, Gunpowderdtim (Garecc)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24874132">bonds forged under fire are stronger than any force (except, of course, bullets)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garecc/pseuds/Garecc'>Garecc</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garecc/pseuds/Gunpowderdtim'>Gunpowderdtim (Garecc)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ready, Aim, Fire [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mechanisms (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Gen, Major death is Bertie and technically jonny but thats jonny its fine, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Not Really Character Death, Panic Attacks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:09:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>455</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24874132</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garecc/pseuds/Garecc, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garecc/pseuds/Gunpowderdtim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is just Tim angst. </p>
<p>Basically Tim gets gassed somehow probably in a random war i don't know, panicks, and Nastya is also there. </p>
<p>Its also Bertie's death.</p>
<p>It's too early to write a summary</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gunpowder Tim &amp; Nastya Rasputina</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ready, Aim, Fire [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799860</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>131</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>bonds forged under fire are stronger than any force (except, of course, bullets)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Nastya is Tim's adoptive mother I don't take constructive criticism. </p>
<p>Also the dynamic is hilarious Tim groans and is like "Nastya your not my mom" and Nastya who forever looks 17 is just "i fucking am" and it causes so much confusion i love it</p>
<p>Nastya just: Tim this is my found family story and i Will aggressively adopt you<br/>Tim: i hate this<br/>Nastya: unfortunate im attached to you now</p>
<p>Tim, like, who knows how long later: okay maybe you are my mom</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tim curled into Nastya's arms. Shaking as panic tore through his mind like gas tears up your lungs.</p>
<p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <em>Why did it have to be gas?</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>(Bertie's scream as Jonny went down, coughing with wet, wheezing gasps, his respirator too far and the mustard gas to thick.)</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>His lungs still burned in his chest as Nastya held him closer. Curling over him.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>(Bertie jumping foreward, tearing his own respirator off, the broken clasp coming loose as easy as it always did. They had always joked about it falling off one day.)</p>
</div><p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>She was talking in some far away place, whispering reassurances and stroking his hair.</p>
</div><p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>(He had screamed, hadn't he, but unknown arms held him back and the respirator muffled every sound he made.)</p>
</div><p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>He wheezed for air, unsure if he was choking on the remnants of whatever the gas was in his lungs or the panic of being gassed again. </p>
</div><p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>(Bertie held his breath as he crumpled to his knees next to Jonny and held the respirator to Jonny's face, pinning him down.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Pinning Jonny down until nothing but blood came up with Bertie's gasping choking breaths as he died, choking on his own blood.)</p>
</div><p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>Nastya's arms were the ones holding him back as Bertie died, as reality tipped over itself and memory melded with the moment. Her words combining with his own frantic screams, and Tim just clung because he <em>couldn't breathe.</em></p>
</div><p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>(Jonny shoved off Bertie's corpse, and <em>laughed</em>. Just laughed as the gas cleared. Laughed as Bertie's corpse sat there, blistering blood around his mouth.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>At first Tim had thought it hysterics, or panic.</p>
</div><p>But no. It was laughter.</p>
<p>Broken, shattered laughter but laughter nontheless.</p>
<p>Tim was still, broken as Jonny laughed and laughed and laughed until he ran out of air to laugh with and choked on his own manic laughter and died, falling dead next to Bertie.)</p>
<p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>They were out of the fighting now, somewhere soft. Nastya just hugged him. Tim just clung.</p>
</div><p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>(Something had shattered and Tim picked up his gun.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Hands shaking as gunfire roared in his ears.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He would have shot Jonny between the eyes just to make him shut up. Stop laughing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>But he had already choked to death on his own twisted laughter.</p>
</div><p>Something had broken and Tim was going to <em>kill all of them.</em></p>
<p>He reloaded his musket, gunpowder dusting his fingers in a coat of explosive death.</p>
<p>He was going to <em>kill all of them</em>.)</p>
<p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>"Its alright, Tim. You're safe."</p>
  <p>Tim just sobbed.</p>
</div><p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>(<em>And he did</em>.</p>
</div><p>With gunpowder and anger, Tim rampaged and screamed and hacked his way to the top.</p>
<p> </p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>Only to end kneeling at the Kaiser's throne, where Jonny winked, and like a fuse set alight Tim blew up the fucking moon.)</p>
</div><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It IS my birthday the day im posting this so you legally have to comment</p></blockquote></div></div>
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